Recently, wiring is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate in order to form a circuit on a surface of the substrate. Copper wiring is widely used instead of aluminum wiring because copper has low electric resistance and high reliability. However, for example, since a surface of the copper wiring is easily oxidized and bonding strength of the copper wiring to solder is weak, palladium, nickel and gold are plated on the surface of the copper wiring in this sequence (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-029810).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-029810
Conventionally, to perform a multiple number of plating processes on the wiring of the substrate, a plating apparatus includes therein a palladium plating unit configured to perform a palladium plating process on the substrate, a nickel plating unit configured to perform a nickel plating process on the substrate, a gold plating unit configured to perform a gold plating process on the substrate, a cleaning unit configured to clean the substrate, a drying unit configured to dry the substrate and a transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate between the respective units. In this plating apparatus, the substrate is transferred into the respective units in this sequence by using the transfer unit, and the multiple number of plating processes are performed on the substrate.
Meanwhile, in the conventional plating apparatus, since the plating units configured to perform different kinds of plating processes are separately provided, the plating apparatus is scaled up.
Furthermore, in the conventional plating apparatus, since the plating processes are performed multiple times in the plating units while the transfer unit transfers the substrate into the respective plating units in sequence, processing time increases and throughput is reduced.
In accordance with one aspect of an illustrative embodiment, there is provided a plating apparatus of performing plating processes by supplying plating liquids onto a surface of a substrate. The plating apparatus includes a substrate rotating holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate; a multiple number of plating liquid supply units configured to supply different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate held by the substrate rotating holder; a plating liquid drain unit disposed in a vicinity of the substrate rotating holder and configured to separate the plating liquids dispersed from the substrate depending on the kinds of the plating liquids and drain out the separated plating liquids; and a controller connected to the substrate rotating holder, the plating liquid supply units and the plating liquid drain unit and configured to control the substrate rotating holder, the plating liquid supply units and the plating liquid drain unit.
While the substrate is held and rotated by the substrate rotating holder, the controller may be configured to control the plating processes to be performed on the surface of the substrate in sequence by driving the plating liquid supply units in sequence.
The plating liquid drain unit may include a multiple number of drain openings vertically arranged in multi-levels; and an elevating device connected to the drain openings and configured to move the drain openings with respect to the substrate rotating holder.
The controller may be configured to control the elevating device such that the plating liquids supplied from the plating liquid supply units are drained out through different drain openings depending on the different kinds of plating liquids.
The plating apparatus may further include a cleaning liquid supply unit configured to supply a cleaning liquid onto the surface of the substrate; a rinse liquid supply unit configured to supply a rinse liquid onto the surface of the substrate; and a processing liquid drain unit configured to drain the cleaning liquid and the rinse liquid dispersed from the substrate.
A plating liquid collecting flow path through which a plating liquid to be reused flows, and a plating liquid waste flow path through which a plating liquid to be drained out flows may be connected to each of the drain openings of the plating liquid drain unit.
The controller may be configured to control the plating liquid drain unit such that the plating liquid from the drain opening is drained out through the plating liquid waste flow path if the plating liquid is mixed with a cleaning liquid or a rinse liquid.
The plating liquid supply units may include a displacement plating liquid supply unit configured to supply a plating liquid to perform a displacement plating and a chemical reduction plating liquid supply unit configured to supply a plating liquid to perform a chemical reduction plating, and the controller is configured to drive the chemical reduction plating liquid supply unit after driving the displacement plating liquid supply unit.
In accordance with another aspect of the illustrative embodiment, there is provided a plating apparatus of performing plating processes by supplying plating liquids onto a surface of a substrate. The plating apparatus includes a multi-plating unit configured to perform multiple kinds of plating processes on the surface of the substrate in sequence; a single-plating unit configured to perform a single kind of plating process on the surface of the substrate; a substrate transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate between the multi-plating unit and the single-plating unit; and a controller connected to the multi-plating unit, the single-plating unit and the substrate transfer unit and configured to control the multi-plating unit, the single-plating unit and the substrate transfer unit. The multi-plating unit includes a substrate rotating holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate; a multiple number of plating liquid supply units configured to supply different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate held by the substrate rotating holder; and a plating liquid drain unit disposed in a vicinity of the substrate rotating holder and configured to separate the plating liquids dispersed from the substrate depending on the kinds of the plating liquids and drain out the separated plating liquids.
The controller may be configured to control the multi-plating unit, the single-plating unit and the substrate transfer unit such that after the multiple kinds of plating processes are performed on the surface of the substrate in sequence in the multi-plating unit, the substrate is transferred from the multi-plating unit into the single-plating unit by the substrate transfer device, and then, the single kind of plating process is performed on the surface of the substrate in the single-plating unit.
The number of the multi-plating unit may be larger than the number of the single-plating unit.
The controller may be configured to change a rotational speed of the substrate rotating holder depending on the kinds of the plating liquids supplied from the plating liquid supply units.
The controller may be configured to control the plating liquid supply unit such that an amount of the plating liquid supplied to a periphery of the substrate is greater than that of the plating liquid supplied to a central portion of the substrate.
The controller may be configured to control the plating liquid supply unit such that a temperature of the plating liquid supplied to a periphery of the substrate is higher than that of the plating liquid supplied to a central portion of the substrate.
The plating apparatus may further include a substrate temperature increasing device configured to increase a temperature of the substrate. The substrate temperature increasing device may increase the temperature of the substrate by bringing a bag-shaped member expanded by a high-temperature fluid into contact with a rear surface of the substrate.
The controller may be configured to change a heating temperature of the substrate temperature increasing device depending on the kinds of the plating liquids supplied from the plating liquid supply units.
In accordance with still another aspect of the illustrative embodiment, there is provided a plating method of performing plating processes by supplying plating liquids onto a surface of a substrate by using a plating apparatus. Here, the plating apparatus includes a substrate rotating holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate; a multiple number of plating liquid supply units configured to supply different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate held by the substrate rotating holder; and a plating liquid drain unit disposed in a vicinity of the substrate rotating holder and configured to separate the plating liquids dispersed from the substrate depending on the kinds of the plating liquids and drain out the separated plating liquids. The plating method includes performing a plating process on the surface of the substrate by supplying a plating liquid onto the surface of the substrate from one of the plating liquid supply units; and performing a plating process on the surface of the substrate by supplying, from another one of the plating liquid supply units, a plating liquid different from the plating liquid supplied from the one plating liquid supply unit.
The plating liquid drain unit may include a multiple number of drain openings, and the plating liquid supplied from the one plating liquid supply unit and the plating liquid supplied from the another plating liquid supply unit are drained out through different drain openings of the plating liquid drain unit.
In accordance with still another aspect of the illustrative embodiment, there is provided a plating method of performing plating processes by supplying plating liquids onto a surface of a substrate by using a plating apparatus. The plating apparatus includes a multi-plating unit configured to perform multiple kinds of plating processes on the surface of the substrate in sequence; a single-plating unit configured to perform a single kind of plating process on the surface of the substrate; and a substrate transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate between the multi-plating unit and the single-plating unit. The plating method includes performing the multiple kinds of plating processes on the surface of the substrate in sequence by supplying different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate in sequence in the multi-plating unit; transferring the substrate from the multi-plating unit into the single-plating unit by the substrate transfer unit; and performing the single kind of plating process by supplying a single kind of plating liquid onto the surface of the substrate in the single-plating unit.
In accordance with still another aspect of the illustrative embodiment, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a plating apparatus to perform a plating method. The plating apparatus includes a substrate rotating holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate; a multiple number of plating liquid supply units configured to supply different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate held by the substrate rotating holder; and a plating liquid drain unit disposed in a vicinity of the substrate rotating holder and configured to separate the plating liquids dispersed from the substrate depending on the kinds of the plating liquids and drain out the separated plating liquids. The plating method includes performing a plating process on the surface of the substrate by supplying a plating liquid onto the surface of the substrate from one of the plating liquid supply units; and performing a plating process on the surface of the substrate by supplying, from another one of the plating liquid supply units, a plating liquid different from the plating liquid supplied from the one plating liquid supply unit.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments, there are provided a multiple number of plating liquid supply units that supply different kinds of plating liquids onto the surface of the substrate. With this configuration, since multiple kinds of plating processes can be performed in one plating apparatus, the plating apparatus can be miniaturized.
Further, in accordance with the illustrative embodiments, while holding and rotating the substrate, the different kinds of plating liquids are supplied onto the surface of the substrate in sequence, and the multiple kinds of plating processes are performed on the surface of the substrate in sequence. Accordingly, a processing time required for the plating processes can be reduced, so that throughput can be improved.
Furthermore, in accordance with the illustrative embodiments, by performing the multiple kinds of plating processes in sequence on the surface of the substrate, the surface of the substrate can be prevented from being oxidized. Accordingly, the plating processes can be performed on the surface of the substrate efficiently.